Artificial Limbs Nigeria

There is a lot that needs to be said about the plight of amputees in Nigeria, but most times the basics are left unsaid. How does one become an amputee, if asked this most people will say it comes about by the loss of a limb be it an arm or leg or both through accidents. We tend to overlook the story of how someone came to be without a limb, and what can be done to help such a person live a fulfilled life. We forget that they just went through a painful procedure and are reminded about the trauma of the procedure, every time they look at what they have lost. It was not easy for the individual, some of them come out of it stronger, and some come out of it scarred for life, others….. What is it all about, is there hope for these people. The answer is, yes. One just needs to look at countless cases online of people with disabilities or amputations leading a normal life. You might say but that the US, Britain, China and some other developed countries of the world. Yes true, there things ar

What is an amputation? Why is it done? National library of Medicine calls it “A surgical removal of the external part of a body, most often a limb or part of it, as a form of treatment. The aim of an amputation is to save a patient’s life and reduce debility. It may be required when a limb is severely crushed or dead due to impaired blood circulation in diabetic disease, infection (Gangrene), burns, frostbite, prevent bone cancer or disease of the blood vessels.” Now let’s consider the process before an amputation occurs and after it occurs. Due to disease or an accident an Individual is rushed to the hospital by either friends or family. In the hospital all possible means to save the individuals live is being done by the doctors and staff, it is noticed that that over time that a particular limb is refusing to respond to treatment and is slowly getting infected. The doctor recommends that amputation should be done to save the life of the individual. At this point family and friends de

What solutions can Nigeria offer? Where do you need to go? There are various solutions available to amputees in Nigeria. These range from locally made Prosthetics and orthotic devices to foreign ones. But first what are Prosthetic and Orthotic devices. Mmomelu Solomon of solotag78 “Prosthetics can be defined as the science of fabricating various Orthopadeic devices or appliances to substitute or replace a missing body part. It can be an upper or lower body extremity. Example includes below the knee prosthetics and above the knee Prosthesis for the lower body extremity and below the elbow and above the elbow Prosthesis for the Upper body extremity to mention a few.” These device can render a cosmetic effect replacement to a functional effect replacement to devices that can perform better that the actual limb. Studies show that the technology of the locally made prosthetics provide more of a cosmetic effect, this is due to the technologies available to our locally prosthetic technicians.

Artificial limbs have been a great help, for amputees and people with various disabilities of the limb. But there is a general misunderstand, of how to pick the right artificial limb for an amputee. Most people think it’s a one off solution, they fail to understand that this is a new tool, that one has to learn to work with. Some experts have said that it is better for an amputee, to see and imagine the benefits of the artificial limb before its fitted. He or her has to understand that for the tool to become efficient and effective, the user has to learn and train to use it. There are other factors to consider before using a prosthetic such as Mobility and Comfort. These two factors tend to be constantly ignored, when purchasing and fitting artificial limbs for patients Nigeria. The question of whether he/she is comfortable with the new limb. The question of what type of mobility does the patient require. These two must be first considered. Does the patient want something for slow move

Having seen the body in motion, a truly unique thing to watch. Smoothly, slick, fluid, lumbering, daunting. A thing of beauty and scorn, that most times we take it for granted. The simply act of movement, the way we walk, the simple raising of one foot before the other. The bend of the knee, the swing of the arm, the bend of the wrist, the bringing down of the next step. All in one fluid choreograph motion, done without a though. The foot our foot. A truly unique creation of our anatomy. Able to support weight, 100 times more than its size and weight. Constantly pounding the ground with each step we make, bending and turning as we lift it to repeat the same process of walking again and again through out the day. Only a slight pressure pain felt at the end of a hard days standing and walking. As we age, the pains begin to increase, as bone rub against bone and muscle rub against muscle. The constant wear and tear begin to take its toll on our body, and the body that great machine of Our

What the hustle and bustle of Lagos life. The need to be in a hurry and always on the go. The constant rush hour traffic, the danfo drives and other communters, seem to be hell bent on driving you crazy. When you finally can't take the stress no more, where do you go to solve relieve depression, stress and strain of the daily life in this town. If only we had psychiatrist like the had in the Us. It will surprise you that we do. In Nigeria, the profession is over a hundred years old. The first asylum was established in the southern city of Calabar in 1904. Shortly after (in 1907), the Yaba Asylum was established in Lagos. These asylums were run by medical officers, as there were no psychiatrists. They provided essentially emergency and custodial interventions. In 1954 the Aro Mental Hospital, was opened in Abeokuta by the British colonial government. This was in response, to the need for improved mental health care. It also provided an opportunity for the country’s first indigenous

How does it feel to be an Amputee. How does it feel to loose the use of an arm,leg or both. How does it feel to see others do the thing you want so badly to do. We leave home and call a bike to take us to our destination without a safety gear or harness. Our faith, that God is with us and nothing will happen. We enter a bus to get home from work, the bus driver is driving like a complete manic with a mission to get to his bus stops on time. We smile inwardly and enjoy his bravado and insult those who get in the way of his drivng, we fear nothing. Why should we fear when God is with us nothing will happen. We drive out for a night on the town, and do the thing that makes that nation great and crazy. We drink to stupor and get behind the wheel, performing daring moves and flooring the gas on port hole riddled roads while being cheered by our friends in the back sit. Why worry, god is with us. Life does not end because we lose an arm or a leg or both.Life does not end because we were born